1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a seeking fused munition, which has a projectile-forming insert at the front end thereof.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
A seeking fused munition and a method of combating armored target objects by means of such a terminal phase-correctable seeking fused munition is known from German Patent Application No. DE 35 16 673 C2. That known seeking fused munition has a parachute and is characterised in that it is provided with devices for nullifying or restoring the effect of the parachute and at least one pulse generator for initiating a quasi-ballistic trajectory from a dropping phase which is braked by the parachute.
German Patent Application No. DE 41 04 800 C2 describes a device for real-time terrain reconnaissance by means of at least one sensor which can be launched as a payload by a carrier projectile in the manner of a submunition and the information of which can be transmitted by way of a relay to a remote receiving station, wherein each sensor and the relay are in the form of payloads, equipped with descent braking means, of an artillery carrier projectile, which after launch over a target area to be verified can be released from the carrier projectile. The relay is equipped with a braking means to afford a substantially lower descent rate than the sensor which senses on a rotating path and in so doing narrows down the target area in a spiral form.
German Patent Application No. DE 44 26 014 A1 discloses a system for protecting a target such as an armored vehicle, a bunker or the like from shells having a launch container mounted adjustably movably on a base portion, with at least one launch barrel for an associated fragmentation grenade, a sensor device for detecting the target to be combated and directing the launch container towards the target to be combated, and a drive device which is connected together with the sensor device by way of a signal processing device and a control device for orienting the launch container relative to the base portion, wherein the at least one fragmentation grenade is provided with a fragmentation cover and a fuse device for controlling the firing time. That arrangement can have an explosive device with a hollow charge.
A reconnaissance device with a sensor unit for detecting and locating targets which can be transported together with a deployable, descent-retarding device in an artillery shell and which can be released therefrom and which is provided with a braking parachute and an anti-spin device is known from German Patent Application No. DE 196 13 492 C2.
A seeking fused munition for artillery of 155 mm caliber is known as the SMArt 155. That known seeking fused munition has a nose fuse for an ejection unit which adjoins same at the rear end thereof and by means of which submunitions arranged in axially successive relationship in a casing are ejected at the rear end from the casing. The submunitions each have a respective anti-spin device and a rotational parachute as a descent-retarding device as well as sensors for target acquisition.
The design configuration of that known seeking fused munition with submunitions provided in a casing, wherein each submunition has at the front end a projectile-forming insert, is possible without any problem in the case of a SMArt 155, because of the relatively large diameter. In the case of a seeking fused munition of a smaller caliber however, when using the same design principle with a casing, the diameter of the projectile-forming insert would have to be correspondingly reduced. Such a reduction in the diameter of the projectile-forming insert however would result in a reduction in the piercing or penetration depth of the projectile formed from the insert.